Todd Case believes there is strength in numbers.

The Warwick mayor plans to reach out to top elected officials of rural, agricultural communities of less than 6,000 people in Ontario to collectively express their displeasure over the latest round of funding cuts to municipalities by the provincial government.  He also challenged his council colleagues in Warwick to do likewise when they speak with other councillors at the combined Ontario Good Roads Association/Rural Ontario Municipal Conference in Toronto in February.

“They (the provincial government) don’t seem to recognize that these cuts are causing us a lot of stress,” said Case during Monday’s Warwick Township council meeting.

Although anticipated, the cut of $115,100 to just under $740,000 to Warwick from the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) for 2016 is no less irritating to Case.

“It is what it is,” he said.  “We’re just going to have to find a way to deal with it.”

OMPF is the main transfer payment from the Ontario government to cities, town and villages across the province.

The province contends that the cuts are offset by additional funding dollars to municipalities in other areas such as more money for land ambulance service and public health as well as increased funds for the Rural Communities Grant.